NELTJE BLANCHAN INTRODUCTION BY JOHN BURROUGHS doc

DESCRIPTIONS OF BIRDS GROUPED ACCORDING TO COLOR Birds Conspicuously Black Birds Conspicuously Black and White Dusky, Gray, and Slate-colored Birds Blue and Bluish Birds Brown, Oliv

By NELTJE BLANCHAN INTRODUCTION BY JOHN BURROUGHS

1897, 1904, 1922

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION BY JOHN BURROUGHS

PREFACE

I BIRD FAMILIES: Their Characteristics and the

Representatives of Each Family included in "Bird

Neighbors"

II HABITATS OF BIRDS

III SEASONS OF BIRDS

IV BIRDS GROUPED ACCORDING TO SIZE

V DESCRIPTIONS OF BIRDS GROUPED ACCORDING TO COLOR

Birds Conspicuously Black

Birds Conspicuously Black and White

Dusky, Gray, and Slate-colored Birds

Blue and Bluish Birds

Brown, Olive or Grayish Brown, and Brown and Gray Sparrowy

Birds

Green, Greenish Gray, Olive, and Yellowish O1ive Birds

Birds Conspicuously Yellow and Orange

Birds Conspicuously Red of any Shade

INTRODUCTION

I write these few introductory sentences to this volume only to second so worthy an attempt to quicken and enlarge the general interest in our birds The book itself is merely an introduction, and is only designed to place a few clews in the reader's hands which he himself or herself is to follow up I can say that it is reliable and is written in a vivacious strain and by a real

bird lover, and should prove a help and a stimulus to any one who seeks by the aid of its pages to become better acquainted with our songsters The various grouping of the birds according to color, season, habitat, etc., ought to

render the identification of the birds, with no other weapon than an opera glass, an easy matter

When I began the study of the birds I had access to a copy of Audubon, which greatly stimulated my interest in the pursuit, but I did not have the opera

glass, and I could not take Audubon with me on my walks, as the reader may this volume

But you do not want to make out your bird the first time; the book or your friend must not make the problem too easy for you You must go again and again, and see and hear your bird under varying conditions and get a good hold

of several of its characteristic traits Things easily learned are apt to be

easily forgotten Some ladies, beginning the study of birds, once wrote to me, asking if I would not please come and help them, and set them right about

certain birds in dispute I replied that that would be getting their knowledge

too easily; that what I and any one else told them they would be very apt to

forget, but that the things they found out themselves they would always

remember We must in a way earn what we have or keep Only thus does it become ours, a real part of us

Not very long afterward I had the pleasure of walking with one of the ladies,

and I found her eye and ear quite as sharp as my own, and that she was in a

fair way to conquer the bird kingdom without any outside help She said that

the groves and fields, through which she used to walk with only a languid

interest, were now completely transformed to her and afforded her the keenest pleasure; a whole new world of interest had been disclosed to her; she felt as

if she was constantly on the eve of some new discovery; the next turn in the

path might reveal to her a new warbler or a new vireo I remember the thrill

she seemed to experience when I called her attention to a purple finch singing

in the tree-tops in front of her house, a rare visitant she had not before

heard The thrill would of course have been greater had she identified the

bird without my aid One would rather bag one's own game, whether it be with a bullet or an eyebeam

The experience of this lady is the experience of all in whom is kindled this

bird enthusiasm A new interest is added to life; one more resource against

ennui and stagnation If you have only a city yard with a few sickly trees in

it, you will find great delight in noting the numerous stragglers from the

great army of spring and autumn migrants that find their way there If you

live in the country, it is as if new eyes and new ears were given you, with a

correspondingly increased capacity for rural enjoyment

The birds link themselves to your memory of seasons and places, so that A

song, a call, a gleam of color, set going a sequence of delightful

reminiscences in your mind When a solitary great Carolina wren came one

August day and took up its abode near me and sang and called and warbled as I had heard it long before on the Potomac, how it brought the old days, the old scenes back again, and made me for the moment younger by all those years!

A few seasons ago I feared the tribe of bluebirds were on the verge of

extinction from the enormous number of them that perished from cold and hunger

in the South in the winter of '94 For two summers not a blue wing, not a blue warble I seemed to miss something kindred and precious from my environment the visible embodiment of the tender sky and the wistful soil What a loss, I

said, to the coming generations of dwellers in the country no bluebird in

the spring! What will the farm-boy date from? But the fear was groundless: the birds are regaining their lost ground; broods of young blue-coats are again

seen drifting from stake to stake or from mullen-stalk to mullen-stalk about

the fields in summer, and our April air will doubtless again be warmed and

thrilled by this lovely harbinger of spring JOHN BURROUGHS, August 19,

1897

PREFACE

Not to have so much as a bowing acquaintance with the birds that nest in our gardens or under the very eaves of our houses; that haunt our wood-piles; keep our fruit-trees free from slugs; waken us with their songs, and enliven our walks along the roadside and through the woods, seems to be, at least, a

breach of etiquette toward some of our most kindly disposed neighbors

Birds of prey, game and water birds are not included in the book The

following pages are intended to be nothing more than a familiar introduction

to the birds that live near us Even in the principal park of a great city

like New York, a bird-lover has found more than one hundred and thirty

species; as many, probably, as could be discovered in the same sized territory anywhere

The plan of the book is not a scientific one, if the term scientific is

understood to mean technical and anatomical The purpose of the writer is to give, in a popular and accessible form, knowledge which is accurate and

reliable about the life of our common birds This knowledge has not been collected from the stuffed carcasses of birds in museums, but gleaned afield

In a word, these short narrative descriptions treat of the bird's

characteristics of size, color, and flight; its peculiarities of instinct and

temperament; its nest and home life; its choice of food; its songs; and of the season in which we may expect it to play its part in the great panorama Nature unfolds with faithful precision year after year They are an attempt to make the bird so live before the reader that, when seen out of doors, its

recognition shall be instant and cordial, like that given to a friend

The coloring described in this book is sometimes more vivid than that found in the works of some learned authorities whose conflicting testimony is often sadly bewildering to the novice In different parts of the country, and at

different seasons of the year, the plumage of some birds undergoes many

changes The reader must remember, therefore, that the specimens examined and described were not, as before stated, the faded ones in our museums, but live birds in their fresh, spring plumage, studied afield

The birds have been classed into color groups, in the belief that this method, more than any other will make identification most easy The color of the bird

is the first, and often the only, characteristic noticed But they have also

been classified according to the localities for which they show decided

preferences and in which they are most likely to be found Again, they have been grouped according to the season when they may be expected In the brief paragraphs that deal with groups of birds separated into the various families represented in the book, the characteristics and traits of each clan are

clearly emphasized By these several aids it is believed the merest novice

will be able to quickly identify any bird neighbor that is neither local nor

rare

To the uninitiated or uninterested observer, all small, dull-colored birds are

"common sparrows." The closer scrutiny of the trained eye quickly

differentiates, and picks out not only the Song, the Canada, and the Fox

Sparrows, but finds a dozen other familiar friends where one who "has eyes and sees not" does not even suspect their presence Ruskin says: "The more I think

of it, I find this conclusion more impressed upon me, that the greatest thing

a human soul ever does in this world is to SEE something Hundreds of people can talk for one who can think, but thousands can think for one who can see

To see clearly is poetry, prophecy, and religion all in one."

While the author is indebted to all the time-honored standard authorities, and

to many ornithologists of the present day too many for individual mention it is to Mr John Burroughs her deepest debt is due To this clear-visioned prophet, who has opened the blind eyes of thousands to the delights that

Nature holds within our easy reach, she would gratefully acknowledge many obligations; first of all, for the plan on which "Bird Neighbors" is arranged; next, for his patient kindness in reading and annotating the manuscript of the book; and, not least, for the inspiration of his perennially charming writings that are so largely responsible for the ready-made audience now awaiting

writers on out-of-door topics

The author takes this opportunity to express her appreciation of the work the National Association of Audubon Societies has done and is doing to prevent the

slaughter of birds in all parts of the United States, to develop bird

sanctuaries and inaugurate protective legislation Indeed to it, more than to

all other agencies combined, is due the credit of eliminating so much of the

Prussianlike cruelty toward birds that once characterized American treatment

of them, from the rising generation NELTJE BLANCHAN

I BIRD FAMILIES

THEIR CHARACTERISTICS AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF EACH FAMILY

INCLUDED IN "BIRD NEIGHBORS'

Order Coccyges: CUCKOOS AND KINGFISHERS

Family Cuculidae: CUCKOOS

Long, pigeon-shaped birds, whose backs are grayish brown with a bronze lustre

and whose under parts are whitish Bill long and curved Tail long; raised and

drooped slowly while the bird is perching Two toes point forward and two

backward Call-note loud and like a tree-toad's rattle Song lacking Birds of

low trees and undergrowth, where they also nest; partial to neighborhood of

streams, or wherever the tent caterpillar is abundant Habits rather solitary,

silent, and eccentric Migratory

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Black-billed Cuckoo

Family Alcedinidae: KINGFISHERS

Large, top-heavy birds of streams and ponds Usually seen perching over the water looking for fish Head crested; upper parts slate-blue; underneath

white, and belted with blue or rusty Bill large and heavy Middle and outer

toes joined for half their length Call-note loud and prolonged, like a

policeman's rattle Solitary birds; little inclined to rove from a chosen

locality Migratory

Belted Kingfisher

Order Pici: WOODPECKERS

Family Picidae: WOODPECKERS

Medium-sized and small birds, usually with plumage black and white, and always with some red feathers about the head (The flicker is brownish and yellow

instead of black and white.) Stocky, high-shouldered build; bill strong and

long for drilling holes in bark of trees Tail feathers pointed and stiffened

to serve as a prop Two toes before and two behind for clinging Usually seen clinging erect on tree-trunks; rarely, if ever, head downward, like the

nuthatches, titmice, etc Woodpeckers feed as they creep around the trunks and branches Habits rather phlegmatic The flicker has better developed vocal

powers than other birds of this class, whose rolling tattoo, beaten with their

bills against the tree-trunks, must answer for their love-song Nest in

hollowed-out trees

Red-headed Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Nighthawk

Whippoorwill

Family Micropolidae: SWIFTS

Sooty, dusky birds seen on the wing, never resting except in chimneys of houses, or hollow trees, where they nest Tips of tail feathers with sharp spines, used as props They show their kinship with the goatsuckers in their nocturnal as well as diurnal habits, their small bills and large mouths for catching insects on the wing, and their weak feet Gregarious, especially at the nesting season

Chimney Swift

Family Trochilidae: HUMMING-BIRDS

Very small birds with green plumage (iridescent red or orange breast in

males); long, needle-shaped bill for extracting insects and nectar from

deep-cupped flowers, and exceedingly rapid, darting flight Small feet Ruby-throated Humming-bird

Order Passeres: PERCHING BIRDS

Family Tyrannidae: FLYCATCHERS

Small and medium-sized dull, dark-olive, or gray birds, with big heads that are sometimes crested Bills hooked at end, and with bristles at base Harsh

or plaintive voices Wings longer than tail; both wings and tails usually drooped and vibrating when the birds are perching Habits moody and silent when perching on a conspicuous limb, telegraph wire, dead tree, or fence rail and waiting for insects to fly within range Sudden, nervous, spasmodic sallies in midair to seize insects on the wing Usually they return to their identical perch or lookout Pugnacious and fearless Excellent nest builders and devoted mates

Say's Flycatcher

Family Alaudidae: LARKS

The only true larks to be found in this country are the two species given

below They are the kin of the European skylark, of which several unsuccessful attempts to introduce the bird have been made in this country These two larks must not be confused with the meadow larks and titlarks, which belong to the blackbird and pipit families respectively The horned larks are birds of the ground, and are seen in the United States only in the autumn and winter In the nesting season at the North their voices are most musical Plumage grayish and brown, in color harmony with their habitats Usually found in flocks; the first species on or near the shore

Horned Lark

Prairie Horned Lark

Family Corvidae: CROWS AND JAYS

The crows are large black birds, walkers, with stout feet adapted for the

purpose Fond of shifting their residence at different seasons rather than

strictly migratory, for, except at the northern limit of range, they remain

resident all the year Gregarious Sexes alike Omnivorous feeders, being partly carnivorous, as are also the jays Both crows and jays inhabit wooded country Their voices are harsh and clamorous; and their habits are boisterous and bold, particularly the jays Devoted mates; unpleasant neighbors

Common Crow

Fish Crow

Northern Raven

Blue Jay

Canada Jay

Family Icteridae: BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC

Plumage black or a brilliant color combined with black (The meadow lark a sole exception.) Sexes unlike These birds form a connecting link between the crows and the finches The blackbirds have strong feet for use upon the

ground, where they generally feed, while the orioles are birds of the trees They are both seed and insect eaters The bills of the bobolink and cowbird are short and conical, for they are conspicuous seed eaters Bills of the

others long and conical, adapted for insectivorous diet About half the family are gifted songsters

family resemblances may be traced throughout, it is almost impossible to characterize the family as such The sparrows are comparatively small gray and brown birds with striped upper parts, lighter underneath Birds of the ground,

or not far from it, elevated perches being chosen for rest and song Nest in low bushes or on the ground (Chipping sparrow often selects tall trees.)

Coloring adapted to grassy, dusty habitats Males and females similar Flight labored About forty species of sparrows are found in the United States; of these, fourteen may be met with by a novice, and six, at least, surely will

be

The finches and their larger kin are chiefly bright-plumaged birds, the

females either duller or distinct from males; bills heavy, dull, and conical, befitting seed eaters Not so migratory as insectivorous birds nor so

restless Mostly phlegmatic in temperament Fine songsters

Chipping Sparrow

English Sparrow

Smith's Painted Longspur Pine Siskin (or Finch)

Family Tanagridae: TANAGERS

Distinctly an American family, remarkable for their brilliant plumage, which, however, undergoes great changes twice a year, Females different from males, being dull and inconspicuous Birds of the tropics, two species only finding their way north, and the summer tanager rarely found north of Pennsylvania Shy inhabitants of woods Though they may nest low in trees, they choose high perches when singing or feeding upon flowers, fruits, and insects As a

family, the tanagers have weak, squeaky voices, but both our species are good songsters Suffering the fate of most bright-plumaged birds, immense numbers have been shot annually

Scarlet Tanager

Summer Tanager

Family Hirundinidae SWALLOWS

Birds of the air, that take their insect food on the wing Migratory Flight

strong, skimming, darting; exceedingly graceful When not flying they choose slender, conspicuous perches like telegraph wires, gutters, and eaves of

barns Plumage of some species dull, of others iridescent blues and Greens above, whitish or ruddy below Sexes similar Bills small; mouths large - Long and pointed wings, generally reaching the tip of the tail or beyond Tail more or less forked Feet small and weak from disuse Song a twittering warble without power Gregarious birds

Family Ampelidae: WAXWINGS

Medium-sized Quaker-like birds, with plumage of soft browns and grays Head crested; black band across forehead and through the eye Bodies plump from indolence Tail tipped with yellow; wings with red tips to coverts, resembling sealing-wax Sexes similar Silent, gentle, courteous, elegant birds Usually seen in large flocks feeding upon berries in the trees or perching on the

branches, except at the nesting season Voices resemble a soft, lisping

twitter

Cedar Bird

Bohemian Waxwing

Family Laniidae: SHRIKES

Medium-sized grayish, black-and-white birds, with hooked and hawk-like bill for tearing the flesh of smaller birds,

field-mice, and large insects that they impale on thorns Handsome, bold

birds, the terror of all small, feathered neighbors, not excluding the English sparrow They choose conspicuous perches when on the lookout for prey a projecting or dead limb of a tree, the cupola of a house, the ridge-pole or

weather-vane of a barn, or a telegraph wire, from which to suddenly drop upon

a victim Eyesight remarkable Call-notes harsh and unmusical Habits solitary and wandering The first-named species is resident during the colder months of the year; the latter is a summer resident only north of Maryland

Northern Shrike

Loggerhead Shrike

Family Vireonidae: VIREOS OR GREENLETS

Small greenish-gray or olive birds, whitish or yellowish underneath, their plumage resembling the foliage of the trees they hunt, nest, and live among Sexes alike More deliberate in habit than the restless, flitting warblers

that are chiefly seen darting about the ends of twigs Vireos are more

painstaking gleaners; they carefully explore the bark, turn their heads upward

to investigate the under side of leaves, and usually keep well hidden among the foliage Bill hooked at tip for holding worms and insects Gifted

songsters, superior to the warblers This family is peculiar to America

Family Mniotiltidae: WOOD WARBLERS

A large group of birds, for the most part smaller than the English sparrow; all, except the ground warblers, of beautiful plumage, in which yellow, olive, slate-blue, black, and white are predominant colors Females generally duller than males Exceedingly active, graceful, restless feeders among the terminal twigs of trees and shrubbery; haunters of tree-tops in the woods at nesting time Abundant birds, especially during May and September, when the majority are migrating to and from regions north of the United States; but they are

strangely unknown to all but devoted bird lovers, who seek them out during these months that particularly favor acquaintance Several species are erratic

in their migrations and choose a different course to return southward from the one they travelled over in spring A few species are summer residents, and one, at least, of this tropical family, the myrtle warbler, winters at the

north The habits of the family are not identical in every representative;

some are more deliberate and less nervous than others; a few, like the

Canadian and Wilson's warblers, are expert flycatchers, taking their food on

the wing, but not usually returning to the same perch, like true flycatchers; and a few of the warblers, as, for example, the black-and-white, the pine, and the worm-eating species, have the nuthatches' habit of creeping around the bark of trees Quite a number feed upon the ground All are insectivorous, though many vary their diet with blossom, fruit, or berries, and naturally their bills are slender and sharply pointed, rarely finch-like The

yellow-breasted chat has the greatest variety of vocal expressions The ground warblers are compensated for their sober, thrush-like plumage by their

exquisite voices, while the great majority of the family that are gaily

dressed have notes that either resemble the trill of

mid-summer insects or, by their limited range and feeble utterance, sadly belie the family name

Bay-breasted Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-and-white Creeping Warbler

Blue-winged Warbler

Canadian Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Golden-winged Warbler

Northern Water Thrush

Louisiana Water Thrush

Maryland Yellowthroat

Yellow-breasted Chat

Family Motacillidae: WAGTAILS AND PIPITS,

Only three birds of this family inhabit North America, and of

these only one is common enough, east of the Mississippi, to be

included in this book Terrestrial birds of open tracts near the

coast, stubble-fields, and country roadsides, with brownish

plumage to harmonize with their surroundings The American pipit,

or titlark, has a peculiar wavering flight when, after being

flushed, it reluctantly leaves the ground Then its white tail

feathers are conspicuous Its habit of wagging its tail when

perching is not an exclusive family trait, as the family name

might imply

American Pipit, or Titlark

Family Troglodytidae: THRASHERS, WRENS, ETC

Subfamily Miminae: THRASHERS, MOCKING-BIRDS, AND CATBIRDS Apparently the birds that comprise this large general family are too unlike to

be related, but the missing links or intermediate species may all be found far South The first subfamily is comprised of distinctively American birds Most numerous in the tropics Their long tails serve a double purpose-in assisting their flight and acting as an outlet for their vivacity Usually they inhabit scrubby undergrowth bordering woods They rank among our finest songsters, with ventriloquial and imitative powers added to sweetness of tone

Brown Thrasher

Catbird

Mocking-bird

Subfamily Troglodytinae: WRENS

Small brown birds, more or less barred with darkest brown above, much lighter below Usually carry their short tails erect Wings are small, for short

flight Vivacious, busy, excitable, easily displeased, quick to take alarm

Most of the species have scolding notes in addition to their lyrical, gushing song, that seems much too powerful a performance for a diminutive bird As a rule, wrens haunt thickets or marshes, but at least one species is thoroughly domesticated All are insectivorous

Carolina Wren

House Wren

Winter-Wren

Long-billed Marsh Wren

Short-billed Marsh Wren

Family Certhiidae: CREEPERS

Only one species of this Old World family is found in America It is a brown, much mottled bird, that creeps spirally around and around the trunks of trees

in fall and winter, pecking at the larvae in the bark with its long, sharp

bill, and doing its work with faithful exactness but little spirit It uses

its tail as a prop in climbing, like the woodpeckers

Brown Creeper

Family Paridae: NUTHATCHES AND TITMICE

Two distinct subfamilies are included under this general head The nuthatches

(Sittinae) are small, slate-colored birds, seen chiefly in winter walking up and down the barks of trees, and sometimes running along the under side of branches upside down, like flies Plumage compact and smooth Their name is derived from their habit of wedging nuts (usually beechnuts) in the bark of trees, and then hatching them open with their strong straight bills

White-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

The titmice or chickadees (Parinae) are fluffy little gray birds, the one

crested the other with a black cap They are also expert climbers, though not such wonderful gymnasts as the nuthatches These cousins are frequently seen together in winter woods or in the evergreens about houses Chickadees are partial to tree-tops, especially to the highest pine cones, on which they hang fearlessly Cheerful, constant residents, retreating to the deep woods only to nest

Tufted Titmouse

Chickadee

Family Sylviidae: KINGLETS AND GNATCATCHERS

The kinglets (Regulinae) are very small greenish-gray birds, with highly colored crown patch, that are seen chiefly in autumn, winter, and spring south

of Labrador Habits active; diligent flitters among trees and shrubbery from limb to limb after minute insects Beautiful nest builders Song remarkable for so small a bird

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

The one representative of the distinctly American subfamily of gnatcatchers (Polioptilinae) that we have, is a small blue-gray bird, whitish below It is rarely found outside moist, low tracts of woodland, where insects abound These it takes on the wing with wonderful dexterity It is exceedingly

graceful and assumes many charming postures A bird of trees, nesting in the high branches A bird of strong character and an exquisitely finished though feeble songster

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Family Turdidae: THRUSHES, BLUEBIRDS, ETC

This group includes our finest songsters Birds of moderate size, stout build;

as a rule, inhabitants of woodlands, but the robin and the bluebird are

notable exceptions Bills long and slender, suitable for worm diet Only casual fruit-eaters Slender, strong legs for running and hopping True

thrushes are grayish or olive-brown above; buff or whitish below, heavily streaked or spotted

Wilson's Thrush (Veery)

Wood Thrush

Order Columbae, PIGEONS AND DOVES

Family Columbidae: PIGEONS AND DOVES

The wild pigeon is now too rare to be included among our bird neighbors; but its beautiful relative, without the fatally gregarious habit, still nests and

sings a-coo-oo-oo to its devoted mate in unfrequented corners of the farm or the borders of woodland Delicately shaded fawn-colored and bluish plumage Small heads, protruding breasts Often seen on ground Flight strong and

rapid, owing to long wings

Mourning or Carolina Dove

II HABITATS OF BIRDS

BIRDS OF THE AIR CATCHING THEIR FOOD AS THEY FLY

Acadian Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Say's Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Kingbird, Phoebe

Wood Pewee, Purple Martin, Chimney Swift, Barn Swallow, Bank Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Tree Swallow, Rough-winged Swallow, Canadian Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Nighthawk, Whippoorwill, Ruby-throated

Humming-bird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

BIRDS MOST FREQUENTLY SEEN IN THE UPPER HALF OF TREES

Scarlet Tanager, Summer Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Chickadee,

Tufted Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, nearly all the Warblers except the

Ground Warblers; Cedar Bird, Bohemian Waxwing, the Vireos, Robin, Red

Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill, Purple Grackle, Bronzed Grackle, Redstart,

Northern Shrike, Loggerhead Shrike, Crow, Fish Crow, Raven, Purple Finch, Tree and Chipping Sparrows, Cardinal, Blue Jay, Kingbird, the Crested and other

Flycatchers

BIRDS OF LOW TREES OR LOWER PARTS OF TREES

Black-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, the Sparrows, the Thrushes, the

Grosbeaks, Goldfinch, Summer Yellowbird and other Warblers; the Wrens,

Bluebird, Mocking-bird, Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Maryland Yellowthroat,

Yellow-breasted Chat

BIRDS OF TREE-TRUNKS AND LARGE LIMBS

Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker,

Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, Flicker, White-breasted Nuthatch,

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse,

Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Black-and-white Creeping

Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Pine Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Whippoorwill, Nighthawk

BIRDS THAT SHOW A PREFERENCE FOR PINES AND OTHER EVERGREENS Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, the Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, the Kinglets, Pine Warbler, Black-and-white Creeping Warbler and all the Warblers except the

Ground Warblers; Pine Siskin, Cedar Bird and Bohemian Waxwing (in juniper and

cedar trees), Pine Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill, the

Grackles, Crow, Raven, Pine Finch

BIRDS SEEN FEEDING AMONG THE FOLIAGE AND TERMINAL TWIGS OF TREES

The Red-eyed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Solitary Vireo,

Yellow-throated Vireo, Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet,

Black-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow Warbler or Summer

Yellowbird, nearly all the Warblers except the Pine and the Ground Warblers;

the Flycatchers, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

BIRDS THAT CHOOSE CONSPICUOUS PERCHES

Northern Shrike, Loggerhead Shrike, Kingbird, the Wood Pewee, the Phoebe and other Flycatchers, the Swallows, Kingfisher, Crows, Grackles, Blue Jay and

Canada Jay; the Song, the White-throated, and the Fox Sparrows; the Grosbeaks, Cedar Bird, Goldfinch, Robin, Purple Finch, Cowbird, Brown Thrasher while in

song

BIRDS OF THE GARDENS AND ORCHARDS

Bluebird, Robin; the English, Song, White-throated, Vesper,

White-crowned, Fox, Chipping, and Tree Sparrows; Phoebe, Wood Pewee, the Least Flycatcher, Crested Flycatcher, Kingbird, Brown Thrasher, Wood Thrush,

Mocking-bird, Catbird, House Wren; nearly all the Warblers, especially at

blossom time among the shrubbery and fruit trees; Cedar Bird, Purple Martin,

Eaves Swallow, Barn Swallow, Purple Finch, Cowbird, Baltimore and Orchard

Orioles, Purple Grackle, Bronzed Grackle, Blue Jay, Crow, Fish Crow, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the Woodpeckers, Flicker, the Nuthatches, Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, the Cuckoos, Mourning Dove, Junco, Starling

BIRDS OF THE WOODS

The Warblers almost without exception; the Thrushes, the Woodpeckers, the

Flycatchers, the Winter and the Carolina Wrens, the Tanagers, the Nuthatches

and Titmice, the Kinglets, the Water Thrushes, the Vireos, Whippoorwill,

Nighthawk, Kingfisher, Cardinal, Ovenbird, Brown Creeper, Tree Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Junco

BIRDS SEEN NEAR THE EDGES OF WOODS

The Wrens, the Woodpeckers, the Flycatchers, the Warblers, Purple Finch, the

Cuckoos, Brown Thrasher, Wood Thrush, Cowbird, Brown Creepers, the Nuthatches and Titmice, the Kinglets, Chewink; the White-crowned, White-throated, Tree, Fox, and Song Sparrows; Humming-bird, Bluebird, Junco, the Crossbills, the

Grosbeaks, Nighthawk, Whippoorwill, Mourning Dove, Indigo Bird, Brown

Thrasher

BIRDS OF SHRUBBERY, BUSHES, AND THICKETS

Maryland Yellowthroat, Ovenbird (in woods); Myrtle Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, and other Warblers during the migrations; the Shrikes;

the White-throated, the Fox, the Song, and other Sparrows; Chickadee, Junco,

Chewink, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Catbird,

Mocking-bird, Wilson's Thrush, Goldfinch, Redpolls, Maryland Yellowthroat,

White-eyed Vireo, Hooded Warbler

BIRDS SEEN FEEDING ON THE GROUND

The Sparrows, Junco, Meadowlark, Horned Lark, Chewink, Robin, Ovenbird, Pipit

or Titlark, Redpoll, Greater Redpoll, Snowflake, Lapland Longspur, Smith's

Painted Longspur, Rusty Blackbird, Red-winged Blackbird, the Crows, Cowbird, the Water Thrushes, Bobolink, Canada Jay, the Grackles, Mourning Dove; the Worm-eating, the Prairie, the Kentucky, and the Mourning Ground Warblers; Flicker

BIRDS OF MEADOW, FIELD, AND UPLAND

The Field and Vesper Sparrows, Bobolink, Meadowlark, Horned Lark, Goldfinch, the Swallows, Pipit or Titlark, Cowbird, Redpoll, Greater Redpoll, Snowflake, Junco, Lapland Longspur, Smith's Painted Longspur, Rusty Blackbird, Crow, Fish Crow, Nighthawk, Whippoorwill; the Yellow, the Palm, and the Prairie Warblers; the Grackles, Flicker, Bluebird, Indigo Bird

BIRDS OF ROADSIDE AND FENCES

The Sparrows, Kingbird, Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Chat, Indigo Bird, Bluebird, Flicker, Goldfinch, Brown Thrasher, Catbird, Robin, the Woodpeckers, Yellow Palm Warbler, the Vireos

BIRDS OF MARSHES AND BOGGY MEADOWS

Long-billed Marsh Wren, Short-billed Marsh Wren; the Swamp, the Savanna, the Sharp-tailed, and the Seaside Sparrows; Red-winged Blackbird

BIRDS OF WET WOODLANDS AND MARSHY THICKETS

Northern Water Thrush, Louisiana Water Thrush, Ovenbird, Winter Wren, Carolina Wren, Phoebe; Wood Pewee and the other Flycatchers; Wilson's Thrush or Veery, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow-breasted Chat; the Canadian, Wilson's,

Black-capped, the Maryland Yellowthroat, the Hooded, and the Yellow-throated Warblers

BIRDS FOUND NEAR SALT WATER

Fish Crow, Common Crow, Bank Swallow, Tree Swallow, Savanna Sparrow, Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Horned Lark, Pipit or Titlark

BIRDS FOUND NEAR STREAMS AND PONDS

Kingfisher, the Swallows, Northern Water Thrush, Louisiana Water Thrush,

Phoebe, Wood Pewee, the Flycatchers, Winter Wren, Wilson's Black-capped

Warbler, the Canadian and the Yellow Warblers

BIRDS THAT SING ON THE WING

Bobolink, Meadowlark, Indigo Bird, Purple Finch, Goldfinch, Ovenbird,

Kingbird, Vesper Sparrow (rarely), Maryland Yellowthroat, Horned Lark,

Kingfisher, the Swallows, Chimney Swift, Nighthawk, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Pipit or Titlark, Mocking-bird

III SEASONS OF BIRDS

The latitude of New York is taken as an arbitrary division for which

allowances must be made for other localities

THE SEASONS OF BIRDS IN THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK OR, APPROXIMATELY, OF THE

FORTY-SECOND DEGREE OF LATITUDE

PERMANENT RESIDENTS

Hairy Woodpecker Swamp Sparrow

Downy Woodpecker Song Sparrow

Yellow-bellied Woodpecker Cedar Bird

Red-headed Woodpecker Cardinal

Flicker Carolina Wren

Meadowlark White-breasted Nuthatch

Prairie Horned Lark Tufted Titmouse

Blue Jay Chickadee

Crow Robin

Fish Crow Bluebird

English Sparrow Goldfinch

Social Sparrow Starling

WINTER RESIDENTS AND VISITORS

BIRDS SEEN BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND APRIL

English Sparrow Pine Grosbeak

Tree Sparrow Redpoll

White-throated Sparrow Greater Redpoll

Swamp Sparrow Cedar Bird

Vesper Sparrow Bohemian Waxwing

White-crowned Sparrow Hairy Woodpecker Fox Sparrow Downy Woodpecker

Song Sparrow Yellow-bellied Woodpecker Snowflake Flicker

Junco Myrtle Warbler

Horned Lark Northern Shrike

Meadowlark White-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Nuthatch Goldfinch

Tufted Titmouse Pine Siskin

Chickadee Lapland Longspur

Robin Smith's Painted Longspur

Bluebird Evening Grosbeak

Ruby-crowned Kinglet Cardinal

Golden-crowned Kinglet Blue Jay

Brown Creeper Red Crossbill

Carolina Wren White-winged Crossbill Winter Wren Crow

Pipit Fish Crow

Purple Finch Kingfisher

SUMMER RESIDENTS

BIRDS SEEN BETWEEN APRIL AND NOVEMBE&

Mourning Dove Red-winged Blackbird Black-billed Cuckoo Rusty Blackbird Yellow-billed Cuckoo Orchard Oriole Kingfisher Baltimore Oriole

Red-headed Woodpecker Purple Grackle Hairy Woodpecker Bronzed Grackle Downy Woodpecker Crow

Yellow-bellied Woodpecker Fish Crow

Flicker Raven

Whippoorwill Blue Jay

Nighthawk Canada Jay

Chimney Swift Chipping Sparrow Ruby-throated Humming-bird English Sparrow Kingbird Field Sparrow

Wood Pewee Fox Sparrow

Phoebe Grasshopper Sparrow Acadian Flycatcher Savanna Sparrow Crested Flycatcher Seaside Sparrow

Least Flycatcher Sharp-tailed Sparrow Olive-sided Flycatcher Swamp Song Sparrow Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Song Sparrow

Say's Flycatcher Vesper Sparrow

Bobolink Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Cowbird Blue Grosbeak

Indigo Bird Yellow-breasted Chat

Scarlet Tanager Maryland Yellowthroat

Purple Martin Mocking-bird

Barn Swallow Catbird

Bank Swallow Brown Thrasher

Cliff Swallow House Wren

Tree Swallow Carolina Wren

Rough-winged Swallow Long-billed Marsh Wren Red-eyed Vireo Short-billed Marsh Wren White-eyed Vireo Alice's Thrush

Solitary Vireo Hermit Thrush

Warbling Vireo Olive-backed Thrush

Yellow-throated Vireo Wilson's Thrush or Veery Black-and-white Warbler Wood Thrush

Black-throated Green Warbler Meadowlark

Blue-winged Warbler Western Meadowlark Chestnut-sided Warbler Prairie Horned Lark

Golden-winged Warbler White-breasted Nuthatch Hooded Warbler Chickadee

Pine Warbler Tufted Titmouse

Prairie Warbler Chewink

Parula Warbler Purple Finch

Worm-eating Warbler Goldfinch

Yellow Warbler Cardinal

Redstart Robin

Ovenbird Bluebird

Northern Water Thrush Cedar-Bird

Louisiana Water Thrush Loggerhead Shrike

SPRING AND AUTUMN MIGRANTS ONLY, OR RARE SUMMER VISITORS The following Warblers:

Magnolia Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Mourning Summer Tanager

Myrtle

MIGRATIONS OF BIRDS IN VICINITY OF NEW YORK

FEBRUARY 15 TO MARCH 15

Bluebird, Robin, the Grackles, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow,

Red-winged Blackbird, Kingfisher, Flicker, Purple Finch

APRIL 15 TO MAY 1

Increased numbers of foregoing group; Brown Thrasher; Alice's, the

Olive-backed, and the Wood Thrushes; Chimney Swift, Whippoorwill, Chewink, the Purple Martin, and the Cliff and the Bank Swallows; Least Flycatcher; the

Black-and-white Creeping, the Parula, and the Black-throated Green Warblers; Ovenbird, House Wren, Catbird

MAY 1 TO 15

Increased numbers of foregoing group; Wilson's Thrush or Veery; Nighthawk, Ruby-throated Humming-bird, the Cuckoos, Crested Flycatcher, Kingbird, Wood Pewee, the Marsh Wrens, Bank Swallow, the five Vireos, the Baltimore and

Orchard Orioles, Bobolink, Indigo Bird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet

Tanager, Maryland Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, the Water Thrushes; and the Magnolia, the Yellow, the Black-throated Blue, the Bay-breasted, the

Chestnut-sided, and the Golden-winged Warblers

MAY 15 TO JUNE 1

Increased numbers of foregoing group; Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Mocking-bird, Summer Tanager; and the Blackburnian, the Blackpoll, the Worm-eating, the Hooded, Wilson's Blackcapped, and Canadian Warblers

JUNE, JULY, AUGUST

In June few species of birds are not nesting, in July they may rove about more

or less with their increased families, searching for their favorite foods;

August finds them moulting and moping in silence, but toward the end of the month, thoughts of returning southward set them astir again

Grosbeak, Orchard Oriole, Indigo Bird; the Warbling, the Solitary, and the

Yellow-throated Vireos; the Black-and-white Creeping, the Golden-winged, the Yellow, and the Black-throated Blue Warblers; Maryland Yellowthroat,

Yellow-breasted Chat, Redstart

OCTOBER 1 TO 15

Increased numbers of foregoing group; Hermit Thrush, Catbird, House Wren,

Ovenbird, the Water Thrushes, the Red-eyed and the White-eyed Vireos, Wood Pewee, Nighthawk, Chimney Swift, Cowbird, Horned Lark, Winter Wren, Junco; the Tree, the Vesper, the

White-throated, and the Grasshopper Sparrows; the Blackpoll, the Parula, the

Pine, the Yellow Palm, and the Prairie Warblers; Chickadee; Tufted Titmouse

OCTOBER 15 TO NOVEMBER 15

Increased numbers of foregoing group; Wood Thrush, Wilson's Thrush or Veery, Alice's Thrush, Olive-backed Thrush, Robin, Chewink, Brown Thrasher, Phoebe, Shrike; the Fox, the Field, the Swamp, the Savanna, the White-crowned, the

Chipping, and the Song Sparrows; the Red-winged and the Rusty Blackbirds;

Meadowlark, the Grackles, Flicker, the Red-headed and the Yellow-bellied

Woodpeckers; Purple Finch, the Kinglets the Nuthatches, Pine Siskin

IV BIRDS GROUPED ACCORDING TO SIZE

SMALLER THAN THE ENGLISH SPARROW

Humming-bird The Redpolls

The Kinglets Goldfinch

The Wrens Pine Siskin

All the Warblers not Savanna Sparrow

mentioned elsewhere Grasshopper Sparrow

Redstart Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Ovenbird Chipping Sparrow

Chickadee Field Sparrow

Tufted Titmouse Swamp Song Sparrow

Red-breasted Nuthatch Indigo-Bunting

White-breasted Nuthatch Warbling Vireo

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Yellow-throated Vireo

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Red-eyed Vireo

Acadian Flycatcher White-eyed Vireo

Least Flycatcher Brown Creeper

ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE ENGLISH SPARROW

Purple Finch Junco

The Crossbills Song Sparrow

The Longspurs Solitary Vireo

Vesper Sparrow The Water-thrushes

Seaside Sparrow Pipit or Titlark

Tree Sparrow Downy Woodpecker

LARGER THAN THE ENGLISH SPARROW AND SMALLER THAN THE ROBIN

Yellow-bellied Woodpecker Kingbird

Chimney Swift (apparently) Crested Flycatcher

The Swallows (apparently) Phoebe